ACT! for Youth delivers a treat this weekend with performances of “Tarheel Tales,” a collection of Appalachian folk stories originally collected by Richard Chase and published in “The Jack Tales” and “Grandfather Tales.”
The shows, all held at the Edna Boykin Cultural Center, will be Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. (a relaxed rules performance) and 2 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m.
Five separate tales are presented by the same cast with some audience participation included.
“Jack and the Northwest Wind” finds Jack seeking the source of the wind and making his fortune.
“The Big Toe” is a humorous ghost story like “jump tales” told around a campfire.
“Old Dry Frye” chronicles the misadventures of a dead body that finds its way around the community with the audience joining in the refrain, “Everybody Knows Old Dry Frye.”
Six volunteers from the audience are involved during “Wicked John and the Devil,” where John successfully outsmarts the devil.
“Jack and the Robbers” is a popular closing story featuring a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster that help Jack in his journey to discover a fortune.
The cast making all these tales from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina come to life are Milo Boyd, Tirzah Davis, Hailey Frison, Kaitlyn Henderson, Caroline McCauley, Annika McLean, Tyler Norris, Jakayla Renfrow and Benjamin Winders.
“It’s very much a mountain vibe, Appalachia sort of theater troupe, storytelling tradition,” said Thomas Mauney, Wilson Arts’ theater arts coordinator and “Tarheel Tales” director. “The interesting thing for the actors is that they have to create four or five distinct different characters, and each story is eight to 10 minutes long. The stories are back to back, so they are trying to manifest something that is different enough for the audience to recognize, ‘Oh, this IS a different character,’ even though they are not making costume changes.”
Tickets for “Tarheel Tales” be purchased online at wilsonarts.com/afytickets, by calling Wilson Arts at 252-291-4329 or at the door. Adult tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Senior and student tickets are $10 at all times.
‘SIX: TEEN EDITION’
Running in repertory with “Tarheel Tales” is a second ACT! for Youth production. “Six: Teen Edition” is a tale of Henry VIII’s six wives served up with a pop concert energy. Five hundred years of heartbreak is turned into a fun celebration of girl power.
Performance dates for “Six Teen Edition” are Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m. and again Saturday, April 18, at 6 and 9 p.m. Tickets “Six: Teen Edition” are available at wilsonarts.com/afytickets for $15 and $20 at the door (adults) and $10 (seniors and students).
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